By JOSH AYERS
Editor
The Stoddard County Senate Bill 40 Board (SB40) agreed to finance a contract for the renovation/repair of the Stoddard County Sheltered Workshop. The contract itself will be between Rick Shipman Construction and the Stoddard County Sheltered Workshop.
Rick Shipman Construction Superintendent Scott Murphy was on hand to speak on behalf of Rick Shipman Construction.
Stoddard County Workshop director Devin Miller handed out copies of the bid to each board member detailing the proposal for the repairs. The repairs included the removal of all existing roof and sidewall metal, replacing damaged steel purlins, re-attaching and welding existing loose purlins, re-anchoring and resetting structural steel columns that have been knocked loose by forklift use, removing an old concrete ramp so that portion of the building can be enclosed, set two steel columns, add new steel purlins and anchors as a portion of the building can be enclosed from exterior elements, installing new 6-inch concrete slab where the old ramp was removed, installing a new 26 ga R-ribbed metal light tan on sidewalls, installing new 26 ga R-ribbed metal on the roof, corner trim, eave rack trim, OHD trim, and ridge cap, installing new gutters and downspouts on the entire building and installing flashing where needed. The total cost of the bid is $386,701.70.
This bid along with bids from CCW and Wade's Construction were previously received for the May meeting. The SB40 Board elected not to finance any bid agreement at that time due to concerns the bids had not been advertised properly.
Rick Shipman Construction had been hired as the general contractor for the project by the Sheltered Workshop Board. The Sheltered Workshop is not required to seek bids due to being a non profit entity and shipman is providing this service at no charge.
Murphy on behalf of the workshop and Rick Shipman Construction bid out the project two bids being received in addition to Rick Shipman's. The bidding process is required for the SB40 Board to finance the project because the board operates with tax payer money.
The SB40 board elected to advertise the bid in the local newspapers thus voiding the previous bids. The bid amounts were not released. No additional bids were received and Rick Shipman resubmitted his bid for a higher amount due to rising material costs.
At Thursday's meeting Sheltered Workshop Board president Sam Huey said they received a call from a company out of Kansas City to inquire about the job. Huey said the company decided they could not do the job leaving Rick Shipman Construction the only bid.
SB40 Board chairman Josh Hester asked what the vote was by the workshop board on the bid from Shipman. Huey said it was a unanimous vote to approve.
Murphy said in an effort to ease the financial strain on the SB40 board the project will be divided into thirds and billed as such. This means the SB40 Board, who would finance the project, would pay the one third of the contract at a time. Murphy further said once the contract is signed the price would be locked in and would not rise regardless of the cost of material.
The repairs /renovations that will be completed on the first, second and third portion of the contract is still being finalized. However, Murphy said there is an OSHAA violation that needs to be addressed immediately. He said some concrete approximately four to five feet high in the middle of the building that must be removed. He said this was possibly used at one time for truck deliveries.
It was asked when each third would be done. Murphy said they would proceed when the SB40 and workshop boards decided to start the next third of the contract. Murphy said if something unforeseen happened on the SB40 Board's end and the last third of the contract needed to be addressed differently he would go to Rick Shipman (owner of Rick Shipman Construction) and determine how to move forward, Murphy said Rick Shipman Construction was there to help not hurt.
Murphy estimated that the project could be be started as soon as the first part of August.
It was suggested by some members of the SB40 Board to move to an executive session to discuss finances and see if they could afford to finance the contract. Chairman Hester declined to move to an executive session saying they had no grounds to do so. The SB40 Board's finances are a matter of public record.
SB40 member Mark Avery added the payments the board had to make and the income the board was expecting (tax money and rent from QC Supply and Target Case Management). He said it would be close as to wether they could finish paying the Rick Shipman contract in 2023.
The board purposed paying the the contract by way of one third in 2022, one third in 2023 and one third in 2024. Murphy said this was acceptable. The board voted unanimously to fund the project.